BJ and Wally (film)
BJ and Wally is a 2006 American computer-animated buddy comedy film produced by Gingo Animation and based on Geo G's daily comic strip of the same name. The fifth feature film from Gingo, the film was released by Universal Pictures on July 7, 2006, and was produced to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the comic strip. Directed by Geo G. and produced by Michael Wildshill, it features the voices of Zach Braff, Greg Cipes, Matthew Broderick, Joan Cusack, Tim Curry, Wayne Knight, Isla Fisher, Richard Kind, Reese Witherspoon, Dana Carvey, and William Shatner. The film is an origin story of how BJ and Wally met before the events of the very first comic strip in 1996. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a box office success, grossing $425.9 million worldwide against a $140 million budget. A television series based on the film titled The BJ and Wally Show, premiered on Cartoon Network on October 4, 2007 and ended on March 29, 2012. Plot BJ Wilson is an average 11-year-old boy who lives a very boring but very average life with his mother Janet and his older brother Alan, in a small town called Tootleville. While unconditionally supported by Janet and embarrassed by Alan, BJ dreams about there being more to life than his bleak existence. Later, BJ and his family learn that Hugo Pinnez, the CEO of B.E.T. Corps, has announced plans to redevelop Tootleville as a large metropolis. This becomes the last straw for the Wilson house, prompting BJ to leave and find a better life. BJ meets a scientist and inventor named Cal, who explains to him that some children were taken to B.E.T. Corps for research and development. Willing to rescue someone, BJ observes B.E.T. Corps in the distance. Along the way, BJ meets an orphan named Wally for the first time, and adopts him as his brother. Wally tells BJ about how he lost his family in a plane crash, and how he was taken away to B.E.T. Corps, but managed to escape. BJ then follows Wally to B.E.T. Corps. There, the two are attacked by Hugo and his robot guards. After they escape, BJ takes Wally to his house. There, BJ introduces Wally to his mother Janet and his older brother Alan. More coming soon! Cast * Zach Braff as BJ Wilson, a sarcastic, wise-cracking, self-absorbed, intelligent, arrogant, and somewhat bossy 11-year-old boy. He wears large, circle-shaped glasses and has a lack of nose (along with his family) but was able to smell. He's the main protagonist of the film. * Greg Cipes as Wally Wilson, BJ's adoptive brother and best friend. He is a clumsy, empathetic, but smart, skinny boy who lost his family on a plane crash and is willing to trust and befriend anyone. He's the main deuteragonist of the film. * Matthew Broderick as Alan Wilson, BJ's 20-year-old brother. * Joan Cusack as Janet Wilson, the caring mother of BJ, Wally, and Alan. * Tim Curry as Hugo Pinnez, a greedy, selfish man and the CEO of B.E.T. Corps who plans on converting Tootleville into a metropolis city. He's the main antagonist of the film. * Wayne Knight as Tony, Hugo's henchman. * Isla Fisher as Nina, BJ's girlfriend. * Richard Kind and Reese Witherspoon as Jimmy and Jane, a wacky, dim-witted couple who often mess around in their house. * Dana Carvey as Cal, a scientist and inventor. * William Shatner as Dr. Pockgins, a doctor. * Brad Garrett as Mr. Mint * Michael Wildshill as Larry, a lazy guy who doesn't care much about anything. * Corey Burton as an auctioneer for the Eggics auction at B.E.T. Corps. * Bob Bergen as a guard. Additional voices * Carlos Alazraqui * Jack Angel * Bill Farmer * Grey DeLisle * Bryce Papenbrook * Debi Derryberry * Danny Mann * Zachary Gordon * Jason Marsden * Kari Wahlgren * Jess Harnell * Laraine Newman * Ariel Winter * Mona Marshall * Kevin Michael Richardson * Jan Rabson * Jamie Marchi Production Development Geo G. first wrote a treatment for a BJ and Wally film in 2000. Gingo Animation began developing a film adaptation of BJ and Wally in 2001. In May 2002, Variety reported that Peter Baynham was hired by Gingo to write the screenplay for the film. By May 2004, production had officially begun. Casting The film's cast was announced by Gingo in 2003, originally composed of the returning cast of the animated BJ and Wally shorts which aired on ABC, with Billy West and Jason Marsden reprising their respective roles as BJ Wilson and Wally Wilson. In addition, Phil LaMarr, Grey DeLisle, Hynden Walch, and Kevin Michael Richardson were cast in multiple roles. LaMarr was cast as Alan Wilson and Cal, DeLisle was cast as Janet Wilson and Jane, Walch as cast as Nina, and Richardson was cast as Tony and Jimmy. Tim Curry was brought in to play Hugo Pinnez and producer Michael Wildshill was cast as Larry. In March 2005, Gingo announced that the majority of the cast had been revised with better-known actors, in hopes of attracting a larger audience. Of the original cast, only Curry retained his role. Zach Braff replaced Billy West as BJ, Greg Cipes replaced Jason Marsden as Wally, and Matthew Broderick replaced Phil LaMarr as Alan. Despite these recastings, Jason Marsden, Grey DeLisle, and Kevin Michael Richardson retained the three of the additional voices. Gingo also wanted to replace Michael Wildshill in the role of Larry with a more famous actor such as John Goodman, but the role was ultimately not recast. Music The film's score was composed by John Powell. The soundtrack was released on July 1, 2006 by Varèse Sarabande. Marketing Wendy's promoted the film with a set of 5 kids' meal toys featuring the characters from the film. The official teaser was released on July 15, 2005 and was shown in front of films such as M.I.S.S.I.O.N., Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Bad News Bears. The first theatrical trailer was released on November 4, 2005 and was shown in front of films such as Chicken Little, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Yours, Mine, & Ours, and Marcus Troy and the Kingdom of the Crown. A second theatrical trailer was released on March 10, 2006 and was shown in front of films such as The Shaggy Dog, Ice Age: The Meltdown, The Wild, Cars, and Nacho Libre. TV spots began to air between June and early July of 2006. Release The film was originally scheduled for release on December 16, 2005, but on December 5, 2004, its release date was pushed back to July 7, 2006, due to Universal's satisfaction with the successful July 2004 release of Computeropolis and desire to exploit fully the merchandising potential of a summer film. The release date change was also the day before Disney/Pixar changed the release date of Cars, from November 2005 to June 2006. Home media BJ and Wally was released on DVD, VHS, Blu-ray, and UMD Video on December 5, 2006. It was the last Gingo film to be released on VHS. Reception Box office Coming soon! Critical reception On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 53% based on 123 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "As an animated adaptation of a comic strip made by Gingo, BJ and Wally is rather average like the titular protagonist, but it's slightly boring to those that are not the fans of the comics." On Metacritic, it received a score of 51 out of 100, based on 75 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Video game Television series Transcripts Main To see the main transcript of the film, click here. Trailers To see the transcript for the trailers of the film, click here. Category:Films Category:2000s Category:2006 Category:Films directed by Geo G. Category:BJ and Wally Category:Gingo Animation animated films Category:Universal Pictures animated films